Kids Free 325
| Laps = 130 (Stage 1: 30 Stage 2: 30 Stage 3: 70) | Previous names = Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 (1982–1985) Miller High Life 500 (1986–1989) Miller Genuine Draft 500 (1990) Champion Spark Plug 500 (1991–1993) UAW-GM Teamwork 500 (1994–1996) Pocono 500 (1997–2009) Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 (2010) 5-hour Energy 500 (2011) Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR (2012) Party in the Poconos 400 Presented by Walmart (2013) Pocono 400 (2014, 2018-2019) Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 (2015–2016) Axalta presents the Pocono 400 (2017) | Most wins driver = Jeff Gordon (4) | Most wins team = Hendrick Motorsports (11) | Most wins manufacturer = Chevrolet (18) | Surface = Asphalt | Length mi = 2.5 | Turns = 3 }} The Kids Free 325 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held annually at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race is the first of two NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway, with the other being the Worry-Free Weather Guarantee 350, held the next day. First held as a race during the 1982 season, it served as a replacement for the race at Texas World Speedway. Starting in 2012, the race distance was reduced to 400 miles. In 2020, the race will become a doubleheader, with the Kids Free 325 being a Saturday afternoon race, and the Worry-Free Weather Guarantee 350 on Sunday afternoon, and be held on the last weekend in June. NASCAR and Pocono Raceway announced that Saturday the Truck event that is usually held in July and the first Cup race that is usually held in early-June will be run on Saturday. On Sunday, the Xfinity race that is run in June and the second Cup race will follow. Tentatively, Pocono's website lists the second Cup race of the weekend, as being reduced from 400 miles to 350 miles. The race's distance was later announced and confirmed to be 325 miles. In mid-December NASCAR released the tentative schedule for the doubleheader, including the stage lengths. For this race Stages 1 and 2 will be 30 laps long, and the Final Stage will be 70 laps. Kyle Busch is the defending race winner. Past winners Notes *'2000 and 2016:' Race postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain *'2005 and 2010:' Race was extended due to a NASCAR overtime finish *'2007:' Race was shortened due to rain and darkness *'2012:' Race distance was reduced from to . *'2020:' Race distance was reduced from to . Multiple winners (drivers) Multiple winners (teams) Manufacturer wins Notable races *'1982:' Dale Earnhardt flipped over Tim Richmond going into turn one, and suffered a neck injury that he hid until the end of the season. Because of a 1984 Busch Clash crash involving Ricky Rudd where he hid his injuries, NASCAR changed the rules later that season mandating medical clearance from NASCAR officials before racing. *'1988:' Bobby Allison reported a flat tire before the race, tried to complete a lap, but he did not. Driving into the tunnel turn, Allison blew the tire and slammed the outside wall. Then, Jocko Maggiacomo T''-boned Allison in the driver's side door and Allison suffered career-ending injuries. *'2009:' Tony Stewart became the first owner-driver to win since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998. It was also the first race in NASCAR's history to introduce double-file restarts. *'2010:' On the Long Pond straightaway, Kasey Kahne spun across the track on the last lap and went airborne, collecting Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman and others. Denny Hamlin won the race, which had been delayed for several hours due to rain. *'2012:' Twenty-two-year-old Joey Logano muscled his way past his mentor, 53-year-old Mark Martin, to score his second win (first in a race that was not truncated), on a newly repaved Pocono Raceway, snapping a 104-race winless streak. Logano started on the pole with a new track record, led 49 of the 160 laps, and won by about a second. *'2014:' Brad Keselowski dominated the race, leading 95 of 160 laps, but Earnhardt Jr. passed him with four laps to go to take the victory when Keselowski tried to use the lapped car of Danica Patrick to clean trash from his grille. *'2015:' Martin Truex, Jr. dominated the race, leading 97 of 160 laps en route to his victory. The race was aired on Fox Sports Television for the first time on FS1 after eight years on TNT, Brad Keselowski, running seventh, made an unscheduled stop on lap 21. Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano and Paul Menard were tagged for speeding on pit road. Kenseth and Logano were forced to serve drive-through penalties. Menard was given a stop-go penalty for speeding in the pits, then had to come a second time for speeding again. He cut down his left-front tire and came down pit road for a third time. Truex, Jr. made his first pit stop on lap 29 and handed the lead to Edwards. Edwards pitted on lap 30 and handed the lead to Kasey Kahne, who made his stop on lap 32. Then the lead was given back to Kevin Harvick. *'2017:' Ryan Blaney won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race after passing Kyle Busch with 10 laps to go and holding off Kevin Harvick for the final nine laps of the race. *'2019:''' Kyle Busch ties Rusty Wallace for 7th on the all-time wins list with his 55th-career win. Television broadcasters References External links *Ratings and viewership for Pocono 500 since 2000 Category:1982 establishments in Pennsylvania Category:NASCAR races at Pocono Raceway Category:NASCAR Cup Series races Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1982 Category:Annual sporting events in the United States Category:Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races